It was the end of an era for Ipswich Buses at the weekend because its last five Dennis-built vehicles are being withdrawn after an association with the manufacturer lasting nearly four decades.

The four Dennis Dart single-decker buses and the last Dennis Trident double-decker come out of service in the town tomorrow (Saturday).

Their replacement vehicles arrived earlier in the year, but they stayed in operation until after the Ed Sheeran concerts to ensure there were enough vehicles available for the shuttle buses to Chantry Park.

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The newer vehicles are much cleaner. The buses withdrawn at the weekend are being sold - either to other operators, private owners or for scrap.

Ipswich Buses always offers its old vehicles to the Ipswich Transport Museum but the Cobham Road group was not able to accept one of these vehicles because it does not have the storage space to keep and maintain it.

The first Dennis bus, a Falcon single-decker, was bought by Ipswich Borough Transport in 1983 and since then the council-owned company has bought a number of vehicles from the Guildford-based company.

Ipswich Buses has operated Dennis Dart buses since 1997 - and they are popular with drivers and mechanics as reliable workhorses of the company's fleet.

However newer vehicles have lower emissions, and easier access for people with disabilities. They have been taking over more Ipswich routes over the last few years.